Patent GB-1452971-A (GB)
Title: Sugarcace separation
IPC: C13B5/04
Filed: 1973-10-30
Abstract: 1452971 Sugar cane cutters CANADIAN CANE EQUIPMENT Ltd 30 Oct 1973 [9 Nov 1972] 50411/73 Heading A4C [Also in Division B2]  Sugar cane is processed by feeding to a zone where it is gripped between circumferentially grooved resilient tined feed rolls after which the components of the stalk materials are separated. Delivery Unit. The unit 1 comprises an aligning and feeding zone 10 Fig. 1 and a delivery station 14. The zone 10 comprises short and tall walls, 7, 8 below an open chute 9, co-operating with a belt conveyer 16. Wall sections 18, Fig. 3, above the belt conveyer 16 form parallel feed paths for cane stalks, and a deflecting chute 32 includes divider walls 36 aligned with the wall sections 18 to keep the stalks aligned as they enter the separator unit 2. A spring-loaded guide-plate 38 directs the stalks into the nip zone of the separator feedrolls 72, 72'. The delivery unit is pivotable upwards about a pivot 50 permitting the guide-plate to be lifted clear of the nip zone. The belt conveyer 16 is driven by a motor 52 which also drives overhead rollers 63 which prevent escape of stalks upwardly. Splitting station. The stalks are split by feeding by rolls 72 against a splitting blade 71. To facilitate control and gripping of the stalk each roll includes a resilient outer portion 73 with apertures through it extending parallel to the axis. The apertures 76, 78, 80 Fig. 4 are in staggered radial planes. The outer surface of each roll includes axially spaced circumferential grooves 82 and ridges 84, Fig. 6, sharpened tines 86, Fig. 5 are provided in the grooves 82 with the tines of adjacent grooves relatively circumferentially staggered. The split cane halves travel downwardly along respective guiding surfaces 90, Fig. 1 with the exposed pithbearing side facing the guiding surface, and are  transferred by rollers 92, 93 to a pith milling station 100. Milling stations. The pith milling station 100 comprises a roll 102 running slower than a cooperating ridged roll 104. An epidermis milling station 120 comprises a roll 122 co-operating with a gripping roll 124 milling away the epidermis component of the stalk half. A guide-plate 114 between rolls 102, 104 delivers the epidermis and rind to the station 120, and has a rounded end 118 Fig. 7 to prevent jamming. Milled pith drops through a passage in the base 64 formed by a wall section 128 an a suitable conveyer. Rind is discharged along a ramp 130 to e.g. a cylindrical screen which separates epidermis through openings in the screen. Alternatively milled epidermis is drawn off by a vacuum unit. Roll mounting. The rolls of the separator unit are readily releasably mounted by the insertion of hollow axles 156, 204 Fig. 8 through bearing assemblies screws 198 are oriented to enter slots of a fitting 190 and bolts 198, 212 tightened to draw the gripping portions 208 and sockets 164, 209 together. Wing mechanism. The two halves or wings 65 of the separator unit 2 are moved apart or together by an hydraulic jack and latched when together by an hydraulically-actuated latch Fig. 12, (not shown). Shredder Aligning Unit. The rind portion discharge from the unit 2 is aligned in a mechanism including a driven conveyer belt 300, Fig. 15 co-operating with divider walls 314, a driver 320c and aligned belts 320 driven at a different speed from the belt 300. Wheels 328 prevent misalignment of the rind pieces. The unit discharges into a shredder 336 Fig. 14 having cutter wheels 338 and fed by a conveyer 340.